Read Online An Hour of Need by Bella Forrest - Free Book Online Page A

a wild-goose chase—a waste of our precious time, given Grace’s predicament. But another part of me can’t help but wonder if we were meant to stumble upon this. Frans’ address was right on this place’s doorstep…”
    My grandfather’s gut instinct mirrored my own. I moved to him and placed one hand over his, squeezing it. “Let’s go through, Grandpa.”
    My father heaved a sigh. I knew how much he hated Aviary—the place was traumatic for him. And in a way, it was traumatic for Derek, Sofia and Aiden, too, all of whom had a less than pleasant history with the place.
    Still, we all agreed.
    My father set his eyes on me. “The heat might be living hell for the rest of us over there, but at least it won’t be for you.”

Grace
    I n spite of my body’s innate coldness, even I could sense the sharp rise in temperature. Worryingly, however, I did not feel the urge to peel off even a single one of my thermal layers. This temperature just made me feel comfortable rather than jittery.
    Orlando, on the other hand, did remove his jacket. He slipped it down his shoulders and tied it firmly around his waist. I took this as a harrowing confirmation that I was further gone than him.
    Oh, God. We have got to figure out the antidote!
    Surrounding us was a world of gargantuan trees—trees that were identical to those the IBSI had been burning back on Bermuda and transporting to the beach. Their fluid-filled peach-colored leaves hung heavy from the sturdy branches, creating a thick canopy above us that let only the occasional sliver of sunlight through. This was an advantage for the vampires, at least. A low humming of insects filled my ears, punctuated by the squawk of a bird or the growl of an animal I’d rather not picture.
    I moved to the trunk closest to me and sniffed it. The bark emitted the same nutty smell I had noticed earlier, though it wasn’t sweet. I supposed the sweet odor had come from the burning leaves.
    As my father had already informed us, to our left was a wide track created by some kind of large machinery. Tanks, maybe even more tractors.
    “Construction noises,” Derek said. “You hear them?”
    The vampires among us nodded. We were without an invisibility spell now so that we could keep an eye on each other.
    “I guess let’s see where it leads,” Lucas said, already moving toward the track.
    My father gripped my hand firmly as our group trudged forward to follow Lucas. The path appeared to extend for miles in an almost perfect straight line, surrounded on either side by the pinkish trees. To speed up our progress, and to decrease the likelihood of getting impeded by some wild animal, Ibrahim transported us several miles up the track by magic. Here, I heard the noises my grandfather had been referring to. The trundling of heavy machinery. The creaking of boughs. The occasional yell of a man. And sawing. Lots of sawing.
    From here, I could just about make out the end of the track in the distance. It gave way to some kind of clearing, illuminated by sunlight. Magic transported us the rest of the way.
    Reaching the bottom of the path, we found ourselves gazing around a vast open space—larger than I could ever have expected. The ground was a graveyard of trees. They had been felled for miles and miles to our left and right. Black cranes, tractors, and other machinery equipped with giant saws were lined up at the far end of the clearing, directly opposite us, where the jungle of pinkish-leaved trees began again.
    I counted ten caravans littering the flattened area, where armed men and women in black uniform were apparently taking shifts. Some held mugs and packets of food, while others spoke into communication devices.
    We backed up further into the shadows of the trees to avoid being noticed.
    “What is it about these trees?” I breathed.
    It was Orlando who answered. “You know,” he whispered, his dark eyes wide as he beheld the massacre, “I can’t help but think back to that shelf in